1. Field of Invention
The field of endeavor that this process pertains to is the generation of electricity, specifically to the generation of electricity by hydroelectric processes.
2. Background
Electricity is generated for use by society by four different ways. One way is by nuclear reactors. Another way is by gas or steam turning turbines when fossil fuels or water is burned. Wind turbines are popular near deserts and oceans for generating electricity. The fourth way is by hydroelectric means where falling or pressurized water turns a turbine. In the following paragraphs, three of these different processes will be discussed showing the positive aspects of hydroelectric power and the detriments of steam, gas, and nuclear generation of electricity.
Nuclear and gas/steam generation of electricity accounts for 91% of all electricity generated in the United States. These two processes are very detrimental to the environment and the costs are high. When fossil fuels such as coal and gas are burned, harmful substances are released into the atmosphere that damages the air we breathe and the ecosystem that people live in. In the northeast United States, acid rain produced by these chemicals released into the air kills plants and crops. Coal has to be dug out of the earth much like oil that is drilled out of the earth and then sent to a refinery. These processes are costly to businesses and leave scars and holes in the earth. By-products of coal and oil after they have been refined and reprocessed are harmful to the environment and have to be stored which is a costly process. Coal and oil have to be transported to places for use and is a costly expense. Oil spills occur when tankers at sea have accidents and the oil on these ships leaks into the oceans of the world killing the animals that inhabit these oceans. Also these are finite resources that we can never have back when they are gone. Gas and steam generation of electricity creates many problems for the earth and its peoples.
Nuclear processes for generating electricity are harmful as well. The waste created by nuclear power plants has to be treated and stored. The effects on the environment can be devastating if a meltdown was to occur. Human beings and animals exposed to the radiation and by-products of nuclear processes are at a large risk of developing diseases or even dying because of the effect the radiation has on their cells and DNA. Mutations and birth defects in the unborn are other side effects of being exposed to radiation. Bodies of water that have had by-products of nuclear processes dumped into them are no longer able to sustain life or be enjoyed by people. Nuclear generation of electricity is an unsound practice that affects the people who live on earth.
One can say that there are only two ways to generate electricity by clean and natural means, wind and hydroelectric. Only 9% of all electricity created in the United States is by hydroelectric processes. All one needs is water falling from a higher elevation to a lower elevation and you have enough kinetic energy to make large amounts of electricity. Rivers, lakes, and other large bodies of water are dammed up at intervals and these dams create reservoirs of water. During times of peak demand for electricity, water is allowed to flow through the dam and the falling water causes turbines to turn and generators turn the kinetic energy of falling water into useable electric power that is then sent to a nearby power substation where the electricity is boosted up so as to be able to travel to distances far away. There are no harmful by-products of this process. The water that flows through the dam either goes somewhere farther down stream or is pumped back up into a reservoir where it can be used again. The environment is not hurt in any way. Water is an abundant resource. Hydroelectric power is a natural process in that rainwater that falls to the earth and collects in a reservoir can then be used to make electricity. Dams are the main source of hydroelectric power, but many other untapped sources of pressurized flowing water can be utilized so as to make the percentage of hydroelectric power produced skyrocket and eventually make the environmentally unsound practices of gas, steam, and nuclear electric generation obsolete.
This is where the process that is being applied for comes into effect. The many water mains, water towers, sewage lines, aqueducts, and pipelines that carry millions and millions of water and sewage to places it needs to go could create tremendous amounts of clean electricity. This process will be more environmentally sound and cause the percentage of hydroelectric power created in the United States to surpass the processes that are detrimental to the earth.
3. Objects and Advantages
Accordingly, this process has many objects and advantages over the traditional way of generating hydroelectric power and they are:                (a) the process uses many other mediums besides darns to generate hydroelectric power such as water mains, water towers, sewage lines, aqueducts, and pipelines;        (b) with millions of gallons of water and sewage flowing through these mediums at any given moment of any given day, the amount of cleanly created electricity that can be generated daily far exceeds any output of electricity from other electric generation process;        (c) many turbines can be placed along the entirety of a water main, water tower, sewage line, aqueduct, or pipeline so as to capture as much kinetic energy as possible at many intervals creating large amounts of electricity;        (d) by consumer demand for utilities such as water and sewage, people will be making their own electricity as these utilities travel to and from their homes and businesses;        (e) these same consumers will then buy back from the same utility company this electricity created by their demand and the expenses of creating and conducting electricity will be cut substantially which means greater profits for these utility companies;        (f) load problems will be nonexistent with the use of this process because as long as people need water in their homes or businesses and sewage taken away from their homes or businesses, just as they need electricity to power things in their homes, these people will be making their own electricity as they pay for the water and sewage that comes to their homes and businesses;        (g) generation problems will also be eliminated with the utilization of the process because all of the turbines that are attached along the entirety of the medium will be turning at any given time when pressurized fluid is flowing through the medium, and as above when people need water and sewage taken to and from their home, chances are they will need electricity in their homes as well;        (h) the improvement of the production and use of hydroelectric power is seen in the use of the process in that only 9% of all the electricity produced and used in the United States is by hydroelectric means and with the process using any or all of the water mains, water towers, sewage lines, aqueducts, and pipelines in our country this percentage would grow exponentially;        (i) aqueducts like the Delaware River Aqueduct that runs 85 miles underground and carries 800 million gallons of water daily to New York City have the possibility to generate large amounts of electricity with this process being installed, the pressure and head of the water that flows through this aqueduct and similar large aqueducts that bring water to large populaces could make enough electric power to power these populaces and the surrounding areas;        (j) there are no harmful side effects to the environment by making electricity by this process;        (k) the use of sewer systems to make electricity which is an untapped resource that has the potential to make enormous amounts of electricity;        (l) the rain water that is collected in the vents that line the streets, highways, and interstates of our nation have the potential to make electricity when large rain storms cause floods on these transportation routes;        (m) in today's sluggish economy where jobs are scarce, the utilization and installation of this process will create thousands of new jobs for unemployed people        